WARNING – GRAPHIC IMAGES: Nature takes its course in botanical garden
POORTVIEW – A porcupine falls victim to a hunt in the Walter Sisulu Botanical Gardens.
An early morning hike by residents in the Walter Sisulu national Botanical Garden was interrupted by the grisly discovery of a mangled porcupine. On 4 July the animal was encountered en route to the Witpoortjie Falls. It had injuries on its neck and back and many of its quills were scattered around its body. The carcass was removed shortly afterwards.
Media liaison Ronny Tshabalala said, “It may have been a victim of a hunt. The suspected culprits are the rooikat (caracal) or a leopard, according to an ecologist Tony De Castro.” He continued that a dead leopard had been sighted on the ridge in 2010, so while a leopard attack couldn’t be completely ruled out, a leopard would have taken the spoil up a tree to eat it undisturbed.
Tshabalala added that, according to De Castro, caracal sightings have taken place no less than five times since the beginning of the year which might imply there are many in the area. Tshabalala also added that many cameras have been installed in the park to monitor nocturnal activity.
Tshabalala concluded that the kill occurred either late at night or in the early hours of the morning.
